Forgotten Books: Han Solo at Stars' End by Brian Daley

Has it really been forty years?

That Special Pocket of Time in Star Wars Fandom

Travel back, if you will, to 1979. If you were a kid like me, your life probably revolved around comic books, Saturday morning cartoons, The Three Investigators books, and reading everything you could get your hands on regarding the 1977 movie Star Wars. You had the Star Wars action figures and, depending on your allowance or lawn-mowing money, you might've had some extra cash to spring for the additional nine new figures beyond the original twelve. You were already more than a year into reading the Marvel Comics Star Wars issues, and devoured Alan Dean Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye the year before.

Maybe you could easily imagine yourself as young farm boy, Luke Skywalker, because he was only slightly older than you were. But who you really wanted to be was Han Solo. And if you couldn't be him, then you wanted more adventures featuring him and his trusted partner, Chewbacca.

A Momentous Discovery on the Bookshelves

I"m sure how many young readers knew the name Brian Daley before April 1979, but they sure knew his name after. Commissioned to write three novels featuring Han and Chewie (although we didn't know it at the time), I think you can image the heart palpitations I experienced when I saw that blue hardcover book on the shelves of either B. Dalton Bookstore or Waldenbooks in Westwood Mall in Houston. My parents being readers, it was not a hard sell to at least go into the bookstores and browse. Naturally, I'd find something, then sidle up to one of them with the innocent question "Did you find something?" Because if they found something, I got a book, too.

They must have found something that day, or knew it would be a losing battle if I didn't walk out of the store with that glorious book with the blue cover.

I have no memory of reading through that book forty years ago and, to be honest, had zero memory of what happened. I don't think I ever re-read it, so last month, when it came time for me to select a novel to read, I had my choice. Perfect, since April 2019 marks the books fortieth anniversary. And, in light of the character's evolution over the decades both in the movies and comics, how would the book hold up?

A New Han Solo Story

In those heady days between Star Wars and its then unnamed sequel, the entire Star Wars universe was wide open. Darth Vader killed Luke's dad without "a certain point of view." Heck, Luke and Leia both faced off against the Sith Lord on the planet Mimban in Splinter of the Mind's Eye. The creatures in the cantina were just a small sampling of the vastness of the galaxy just waiting to be discovered. And, in Brian Daley's new novel, you got to see where Han Solo was before he met that old man and the kid.

He was in hot water. And, if you needed to know just how awesome and grown up Han Solo was to a ten-year-old mind, Han actually drops the "d-word" in the first sentence. Mind. Blown.

In his narrow escape from the ships of the Corporate Sector Authority--the stand-in baddies instead of the Imperial Empire--Han damages his ship, the Millennium Falcon. He even pulls out the maneuver he uses in the asteroid field in Empire Strikes Back when he flies the Falcon on its side through a narrow canyon. The dish atop the ship is knocked off (sound familiar) so he's now blind.  But he knows a guy. Of course he does.

Except after going through all the cloak-and-dagger maneuvers to locate Doc, he's gone. Taken by the Espos, the elite police force of the Corporate Sector Authority. His daughter, Jessa, is willing to make repairs to the Falcon in exchange for Han flying to Orron III and picking up some people. Needing the repairs, Han agrees.

And things go downhill from there.

A New Cast of Characters

Joining Han and Chewbacca on this mission to Orron III are a pair of droids. Well, the template had been set with both Star Wars and Splinter. Later, when the Lando Calrissian books are published, he also has a droid partner.  Bullox is a large, old labor-type droid who is not at all like the prim and proper See-Threepio. He's not exactly smart, but he's very loyal. Who is smart is Blue Max, a smaller, up-to-date droid. The only problem is Blue Max has no means of transportation. Thus, he travels around inside Bullox's chest cavity. When the situation calls for it, someone will take Blue Max out, hook him up to a larger computer, a la Artoo Detoo, and work computer magic.

Am I the only one who thinks this sounds an awful lot like Twiki and Dr. Theopolis from the Buck Rogers TV show?

A few other characters show up, but the discovery of them are more fun when you read the novel.

A Good Space Opera Adventure

But what about the book itself? The story cracked along fine with just enough jolts and twists to keep it interesting. Daley had to know he needed to write the book that would appeal not only to adult science fiction readers but early readers like my ten-year-old self. While there is some shooting and gunfights, the violence is kept to a minimum or described using words to hide the reality. For example: "Red beams of annihilation bickered back and forth." Didn't bother me in the least.

I assume Daley had access to the material on sale at the time--which wasn't much--and maybe a little backstory from creator George Lucas. But I also get the impression the author just imagined his way into a Star Wars universe. At the time, Star Wars wasn't too dissimilar to other far-flung space adventure novels, so Daley just ran with whatever idea came to mind. Orron III, for example, was a planet-sized agricultural farm. Like Dagobah is a planet-sized swamp or Coruscant is a planet-sized city. It's merely a piece of imagination.

As an author myself, I enjoy dropping little side notes that hint at other adventures of my characters. Daley does it here, too, but none so tantalizing to young fan than the reference to "Freedom's Sons" in the same sentence as mention of the Jedi Knights! Did Daley know something we didn't? Would Freedom's Sons get into a comic or the next movie? The possibilities were endless.

 I really enjoyed the swiftness of the story. It was a lean 183 pages in my paperback copy. There was a time, even when the property was not from a movie, where a SF author could write a book and it clocked in under 200 pages. Now, so many novels top 400 or 500 pages, if not more, that I hesitate to even start. Granted, Daley didn't need a lot of world building, but I enjoyed that which he gave, including the slang and other parts that contributed to the 'lived in' nature of Star Wars. He went on to flesh out the first Star Wars movie in his fantastic script for the Star Wars radio drama, but that is another post.

Overall, I really enjoyed revisiting this book, and I'm already moving on to the second, HAN SOLO'S REVENGE.

Best Quote of the Book

"Han made a sour face. "I happen to like to shoot first, Rekkon. As opposed to shooting second.""

Foods From Childhood: Cap'n Crunch Cereal

If I'm going to start a new series entitled Foods From Childhood, I have to start with one of my favorite cereals from my childhood...and one I wasn't allowed to have very often.

A Hyper Kid Needs Less Sugar

I was hyper as a kid. I'm not as hyper now, but there are moments. In truth, there's likely a little ADD in my DNA, but back in the 1970s, I was just hyper. According to my parents, I was unable to sit still very well in class and I chatted with my classmates. A lot. So, instead of placing me on any  sort of medicine, the doctor suggested my parents cut back on my sugar intake.

It was the Feingold Diet by which they fed me. Gone was white sugar, lots of candy, and my beloved Dr Pepper. You know, the kind in the 6 oz. bottles that came in a 12-pack? Vanished from the pantry was also the pre-sweetened cereals like Frosted Flakes or Cocoa Pebbles. I loved those cereals--natch--and was bummed I couldn't have them anymore. What made it especially difficult was when certain cereals out of my reach would feature a toy inside the box I particularly wanted. Those were rough days.

The Blandness of Cheerios

In place of all those sugar bombs was Cheerios. Bland toasted oats. Bleech. Granted, I was allowed to add brown sugar to the bowl and, when the parentals weren't looking, I threw in more than one spoonful. Which was kind of against the whole point, right?

The Arrival of Honey-Nut Cheerios

It was a great day when Honey-Nut Cheerios was introduced. Evidently it didn't contain a lot of sugar or preservatives so I was allowed to have that. Much, much better. I ate many a bowlful of Honey-Nut Cheerios and was generally happy with the choice.

The Captain Calls

Spending the night at a friend's house was prime time to see what kinds of foods they ate. Specifically, what kinds of cereal stocked in their pantries. I remember Cocoa Pebbles (love) and Sugar Smacks (didn't love) being some I tried.

But then I tried Cap'n Crunch.

Oh my, what heaven was this? Golden corn chunks that stayed crunchy in the milk almost until the last piece was swept up in my spoon. The sweetness was there, but not overwhelming like Frosted Flakes. And the way the 'Crunch Dust' flavored the milk made tipping the bowl and drinking the last drop so rewarding.

Over the years, I ended up eating other things for breakfast. Now, I'm partial to eggs and oatmeal. But whenever I started buying my own groceries, every now and then, I'd pick up a box of Cap'n Crunch. After I got married, my wife said she and her sisters could polish off an entire box in one morning.

Now, thanks to the cereal love the TechnoRetro Dads give every week, I thought I'd try a bowl of Cap'n Crunch and see how it holds up.

The Taste Test

The one concession to age I have to state up front is my lactose intolerance. I migrated from Lactaid milk to soy milk and now to unsweetened almond milk. So for this taste test, I had a nice bowl of Cap'n Crunch with almond milk.

The crunch is still the same. The milk absorbs into the ...what do you call them? The pieces? But they don't get soggy. The taste is actually not as sweet as I remember. My wife had a few spoonfuls as well. She contends the pieces were larger back in the day, but she also didn't think it was just because she grew up. She honestly thinks the pieces were bigger.

I hopped over to the web to see if there was any truth to her claim. I didn't find any, but I did find a quote by Pamela Low, the flavorist who developed the cereal back in 1963. Based on a recipe her grandmother made, Low said Cap'n Crunch had something she described as  "want-more-ishness". Judging by how fast the family can polish off a box of Cap'n Crunch now, I'd say she hit the nail on the head.

Cap'n Crunch cereal. Still lovin' it after all these years.

Crashing Heat by Richard Castle

Sometimes it pays to open up those emails from GoodReads.

Would We Get Any More Books?

When the TV show Castle ended--still one of my all-time favorite shows--there was one more Richard Castle book already in the pipeline. That was HEAT STORM. As much as I enjoyed the shows and the real-life books that accompanied the series, I reckoned there would be no more.

Imagine my surprise when CRASHING HEAT showed up.

The Return of Nikki Heat

The Nikki Heat books are a good blend of twisty mysteries wrapped up in a set of characters enjoyable to be around. Where other books might draw you in based on the premise of the mystery, here, the mystery serves as a framework in which Nikki Heat and her husband, Jameson Rook, can interact. And this mystery is a doozy.

Rook, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, has been invited to spend a semester at his old alma mater as a writer-in-residence. Seeing as how this school largely shaped his own world view and career, Rook eagerly accepts.

Much to Nikki's chagrin. As the captain of the Twentieth Precinct, she can't just hop around, going wherever her globe-trotting beau goes. She has to stay at home in New York, missing him and trying to convince her heart and brain there's nothing to worry about. Even if Chloe Masterton, a young lady, a senior at that very school, cannot wait to meet the veteran journalist at a charity event. Chloe is, as Nikki dubs her, "the president of the Jameson Rook fan club." Rook assures Nikki her fears stand on nothing.

Then the call comes.

The Call That Changes Everything

A few weeks after his departure, Rook, with his usual bluster evaporated, calls Nikki and lets her know he's in trouble. It seems Chloe is dead, in his house, in his bed, naked. What would you think were you in Nikki's position?

Well, the trained detective is not going to let her husband's fate rest in the hands of small town cops, so she heads upstate to help.

What follows is a pretty standard mystery, the likes of which you'd have found on any random episode of the TV show Castle, from which these characters emerge. There's not a lot of twists and turns, but enough to make this book an enjoyable and welcome read. Narrator Robert Petkoff again nails the Nathan Fillion-like quality to his voice so much so that you'd almost guess it was the actor himself reading the novel.

Again, it's the interactions between the two leads that you're reading this book. Heck, you could probably just follow them around on a typical day, seeing them play off each other, and you'd probably enjoy the experience. In all these Nikki Heat novels, I've loved seeing their interplay, how it's grown and matured--mostly. Rook is still Rook, which means he's like the character Castle from the TV show, which means he's like star Nathan Fillion. And if Rook's Fillion, then Nikki's co-star Stana Katic. There's no point in trying not to see them at their charming best when reading this new novel.

CRASHING HEAT is a welcome surprise to the books of 2019, and I hope--just as I hoped when the last Nikki Heat novel was published--that there are a few more in the future. I'll always buy them on Day One, just as I have since 2009 when HEAT WAVE hit the shelves.

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@Barrie Summy

Overlooked Movies: The Nice Guys (2016)

Chemistry. It’s when two things go together that can make something greater than the whole. Sometimes, chemistry can help you fall in love, maybe get married. Sometimes, bad chemistry can do the opposite. Then you get the chemistry of two actors you’d likely not put together and you get gold.

The Nice Guys star Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. It’s a crime story/buddy comedy/neo-noir movie set in the the 1970s that’s definitely at home with the summer crowd. I love superhero movies as much as the next guy, but there was something refreshing about seeing a movie like The Nice Guys when it was released in June 2016. It’s counter programming for the summer.

The Plot May Sound Standard...

If you’ve seen almost any Shane Black movie, you know what to expect. Russel Crowe plays Jackson Healy, an enforcer, who all but hates himself for the job he does. But he’s good at it and effective. Private eye Holland March (Gosling) is down-on-his-luck (natch) and an alcoholic (also natch). He has a philosophy of how he treats his customers (read: get as much as possible) but he’s also a bit of a wimp. That particular brand of character is somewhat unique in movies like this. Well, the wimp part, that is. His wimpiness becomes evident whenever he sees blood as that typically makes him sick. The two initially meet when Healy is asked to pay March a visit. This part’s in the trailer so it’s not a giveaway to say that Healy fractures March’s arm.

...But the Actors' Chemistry Make the Movie Awesome

It’s in this initial scene where the chemistry between Crowe and Gosling blossom. Their tet-a-tet is instantly charming and the small Sunday night crowd at the theater laughed out loud all throughout the movie. As you could imagine, the case March is working on—the disappearance of an adult actress named Amelia—gets tied back to a job Healy is working. Healy’s the character with a conscience and he ends up hiring March to find Amelia.

Hilarity ensues.

If it’s a Shane Black movie, you know the dialogue is spot on and sharp as a whip. I’m not sure which Hollywood executive decided that Crowe and Gosling would be good together, but he or she deserves a bonus. The chemistry of the two actors is remarkable. In a different age, you could see them guest host a variety show.

But where Black diverts from the norm is in having March be a single father. Holly March, played by Angourie Rice, is a precocious twelve-year-old who has become her dad’s partner. The addition of her is icing on the cake. She actively helps her dad through this story, at times getting into trouble and at other times being the quick-thinking extra set of eyes the story needs. The repartee between her and Crowe and Gosling is a thing you didn’t know you wanted but are so glad you have.

There are lots of great little moments I won’t spoil here, but I will point out one of my absolute favorites without giving any context. Remember when I said that March has a thing about seeing blood? Well, this being the neo-noir movie it is, blood is present. But in one scene, Gosling channels Lou Costello (as in Abbott and Costello) in his attempt to signal Healy. You know what I’m talking about. It’s when Costello say, sees the Frankenstein monster (in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) and can’t get the words out to yell for Abbott. Instead he just loses his voice in a soft whisper. That’s what Gosling did. Everyone in the theater was in stitches.

Speaking of stitches, my wife and her sister went with me to the theater. Based on the red band trailer, they were unsure if they'd like the film. When I mentioned to my wife that Black was the same guy who wrote "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," that got her more interested. We walked out of the theater with smiles on our faces.

The Nice Guys is a terrific film and highly recommended. And, after three years, where in the world is the sequel?

Quarter Two Twenty Nineteen: A New Writing Cycle Begins

Ninety-two days. Thirteen weeks.

That is the number of days in the second quarter of 2019. Well, it's actually the same number of days in any second quarter of any year, but I digress.

Over the past five or six years, the second quarter of the year has become my favorite quarter. Spring is on the rise and summer beckons. The end of a school year and, well, summer beckons. I haven't been in any sort of school for the past twenty years, but I've always kept a 'school year' calendar in my head.

Second Quarters indicate a shift in the types of music I listen to, movies I watch, and books I read. Gone are the music/books/movies associated with the 'darker' months. Here are the music/books/movies associated with bright, sunny, and hot days. Action/Adventure books. Bigger-than-life movies. Music to drive around town with the windows down. It's a grand time.

New Writing Cycle

As a writer who has a day job, I do not have the opportunity to write for longer than about an hour day day. Some days, ninety minutes. On really good days, it can be two hours.

I compensate by writing along the calendar. New projects start on new months. And today is the start of not only a new month but a new quarterly writing cycle. Think about it: if you write 1,000 words a day for the entire quarter, you'll have 92,000 words of fiction. Imagine what you can do with that.

• Nine 10,000-word novelettes. 
• Eighteen 5,000-word short stories. 
• One long novel. 
• Two short novels. 

What could you do with, say, eighteen different and/or connected short stories? How about two short novels? What about that novel you haven't finished yet?

A bit of poor planning on my part means I'll be spending the first few days of the quarter completing a novelette I started in Quarter One. And then I'll have to complete the sixth Calvin Carter novel.

But I also plan on writing new tales. And what makes this little endeavor fun is that I don't know what I'm going to write. It'll be just as exciting for me to craft the tales as it will be for folks to read them someday in the future.

I think of this as a NaNoWriQua: National Novel Writing Quarter.

What will you accomplish with your 92 days?

Def Leppard's "Disintegrate"

I've known about Def Leppard since 1983. Even seen then twice, once in Dallas as the headliner and again in 2014 when the co-headlined with KISS. But in terms of buying albums, I left off with Hysteria.

That changed this year when I stumbled onto Euphoria, the band's seventh studio album that turns twenty this summer. It's a really well-done album, but, surprisingly, one song stands out.

The tenth track of the 13-track album is "Disintegrate." It's an instrumental and, based on what I've read, it stands and the first instrumental song by the band since 1981's "High and Dry."

Anyway, as I was listening to the record top to bottom, "Disintegrate" made me stop and listen to the song again. Immediately. Then I finished the record. I've heard the entire album a few times now, but this song is my favorite.

It's got a great combination of a big pop-metal melody with a big of late 90s industrial-type undertones. As modern as it sounds, the tune still sounds very much like Def Leppard. 

Guitarist Phil Collen wrote the tune, and it clocks in under three minutes. He could have gone on for twice that time. 

If there's a favorite song of March 2019, it's Def Leppard's "Disintegrate."

And here's a video where Collen performs the song for the first time.

I'd be remiss if I also didn't congratulate Def Leppard for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this weekend. Here's is Queen's Brian May's speech.

The Matrix at 20

Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of those films that changed everything.

To commemorate the day, the family sat down on Friday night and brought out the DVD. I can’t remember the last time I saw The Matrix, but it was likely ahead of the 2003 sequel. Assuming that, it had been sixteen years since I last saw this movie.

It holds up really well.

You all know the story of Thomas Anderson, computer hacker, who hunts the internet for the mysterious Morpheus and his connection to the Matrix. Turns out, Morpheus is seeking Anderson as well. It is Morpheus’s contention Mr. Anderson—or, to use his hacker name, Neo—is the one who can defeat the evil machines behind the Matrix.

What’s interesting about watching this movie in 2019 is to be reminded of how dozens of internet memes started. I lost count of how many things have now become standard, but were once revolutionary and new with the actual Matrix movie. The red pill and the blue pill. The stop-motion in a pivotal action scene and allowing the camera to swing around to a different angle. The bullets whizzing by in slow motion. The wire work during the action scenes. (Yes, I know it was done in Hong Kong films, but many people had never seen that stuff before.)

Plus, I love how quaint it appears now that the people in the Matrix had to locate a landline. What would this movie be like today?

After years of writing my own stories, one thing jumped out at me: the overly formulaic hero’s journey story. I probably saw it back in the day, but I really saw it now. Neo’s choice. The “Obi-Wan” figure telling him what to do. Other characters doubting him. Neo doubting himself. Neo no longer doubting himself as he becomes the hero. Don’t get me wrong: it’s a good story and it’s done well. But I just happened to see it now. The beauty and curse of a storyteller.

And Joe Pantoliano as Cypher. He is basically the Judas. How many hero’s journey movies and stories have a traitor? Lando in Empire Strikes Back comes to mind. I don’t recall Harry Potter having one. Fellowship of the Rings had Sean Bean’s Boromir. Paul Reiser’s Burke in Aliens. What are some others?

Then there is Keanu Reeves. He doesn’t have a lot of range, but what he does, he does pretty darn well, especially in this film. I enjoyed seeing him again. And, as someone who has not seen any of the John Wick movies—yet wanted to—I am even more enthused about seeing the Wick movies.

The Matrix is one of those films where there was a distinct before and after. It was that influential.

Oh, and the irony of the film’s debut in 1999? It came out about two months before Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. As 1999 started and knowing these two movies were on the horizon, who would have thought the non-Star Wars movie would hold a higher place of honor?

What are your memories of The Matrix?

Year of an Indie Writer: Week 13

Well, let's call this Bat-Week, shall we?

Yeah, I know I posted four blogs last week about a 1976 four-issue run called Batman's Underworld Olympics, but this was the true Bat-Week.

The Caped  Crusader is now eighty years old, and man, if he doesn't look a day over twenty-nine. I wrote my Gen-X life with Batman and me, while I reviewed Detective Comics 1000 on Thursday.

A Podcast Worth Your Time

Not sure how many Generation Xers we have in the audience, but yesterday, I wrote a piece about one of my favorite podcasts. TechnoRetro Dads is a clean, positive ray of sunshine celebrating the glory days of our Gen-X childhood, a reminder of how good we had it back then, and how awesome we Earbuds have it today.

And they've inspired me to  eat some sugary cereal. How? Read the review.

Book Descriptions

Back in Week 9, I discussed the challenges of writing the book description of HELL DRAGON, the second Calvin Carter adventure. Well, this coming week, I'll be publishing "Amber Alert," a short crime story set in the modern day, and it's just as difficult.

But I tried something different this time, and it proved to make the process just a little bit easier.

Without thinking too hard or too long, I let my fingers fly over the keyboard and, before I knew it, I had crafted five descriptions. Each were slightly different. With each new variation, new light began to shine. I started to hone in on the best words to convey the character and the plot.

Then, I started cherry picking sentences. A bit like the technique of writing songs using cut-up pieces of paper like David Bowie or Bob Dylan.

When you write a book description and the focus is on a character, one method is to show the character as he is, present the problem, and leave with a choice that should compel the reader to keep reading. That's the format I chose for this description.

I ended up with the "As He Is" from the third, the "Problem" from the fourth, and the "Choice" also from the fourth.

Thus, we ended up with the following:

Griffin Lynne had locked away his old life and thrown away the key. He used to be an enforcer, hurting people and enjoying it. Now, he holds down an honest job as a carpenter. He rides a motorcycle, reveling in its freedom. He even found God. 

In short, Griffin's life is about as perfect as could be for an ex-con.

Until he sees the Amber Alert sign. Kidnapped child was bad. Worse, based on the license plate number, he knows the kidnapper and where to find him.

Griffin knows what he has to do. But to find the little girl, he'll have to find that old key and unlock the evil. 

But when his old life reemerges and takes hold of him, will Griffin Lynne be strong enough to hold them back?

The title of this little tale is "Amber Alert" and I'll have an excerpt later next week.

New Month. New Story

Monday starts a new month and a new quarter. I plan on completing at least one novel and one novella this quarter. It might only take me one month, but I'll allow myself at least six weeks to get those things wrapped.

What are your plans for the month of April?

Podcast Review: TechnoRetro Dads

I have eaten more sugary cereal since I started listening to this podcast than I have for the past decade.

And I love it.

All Things Retro

Podcasters Shazbazzar and JediShua are a few years younger than my fifty, but together, we are brethren. We grew up in the 1970s and 1980s when Saturday morning meant only one thing--cartoons!--there was only a single Star Wars film, and only three networks. It was the age of toys, toys, toys, and awesome cereal aimed precisely at kids. It was a great time to be a kid, and these dads share the love with each other, their families, and all the Earbuds (their affectionate nickname for fans of the show).

A Typical Episode is a Mini Variety Show

I'm not entirely sure how I stumbled onto this show, but it took only one episode for me to become hooked. Shazbazzar hails from Alabama while JediShua lives "a mile high in the sky" in Colorado. New episodes drop on Monday morning. Each week is themed and they focus on a particular aspect of something we Gen Xers remembered. This week was Batman (since nearly everything this week was Bat-themed). Almost always, the main focus marks some sort of anniversary, like this week with Batman's 80th birthday.

But before they reach the meat of the show, there is news. Some of it is of the personal variety. They are, after all, dads. It's right there in the title. They talk about their kids or some other neat little retro item. Then, as they segue to the geek news of the week, they have what I've come to really enjoy: back and forth jokes. Again, just like a variety show, one of them will provide the setup and the other the punchline. And, these jokes are almost always relating to the week's theme. Each week, my own family has learned I come home at the end of my workday with my phone in hand, ready to play the joke segment.

The Awesomeness of Cereal

In just about every episode, there is some sort of news about cereal, be it a new flavor of a legacy cereal, a new cereal to stand alongside all the brands we've come to love, or just a memory. Leading into this segment is a particular theme song. Not sure if they made it or if an Earbud did, but it always brings a smile to my face.

Like I wrote at the top, I've started buying cereal again. I'm pretty strict with my diet during the weekdays--I avoid sugar crashes at work by not having any--but as this year rolled around, I've been bringing home boxes of Captain Crunch or the smaller single varieties of Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops. Why? Specifically because of the joy Shazbazzar and JediShua share in their love of cereal. Heck, I even went out and bought the new Hostess Honey Bun cereal just to taste it.

Now, I'm actually slowing down on the cereal aisle, looking at all the boxes I so recently glazed over.

Saturday Mornings Were Nirvana

Speaking of theme songs, the tune that leads into the Saturday morning cartoon segment could have easily been pulled from season 2 of Scooby Doo. Remember the times when the crazy monster would chase the Scooby Gang and a song would break out? That's what I'm talking about. The vibe is spot on.

In this segment, Shazbazzar and JediShua chat about various Saturday morning cartoons they loved. Being a few years younger than me, their Saturday mornings went into the 80s, but it's still fun to hear them wax nostalgic. What have I done as a direct result of this segment? Spent some Saturday mornings watching cartoons. Eating cereal. Yeah, it's great.

High Quality Each Week

I'm not too sure how much time it takes for these two to record and produce a 77-minute podcast every week, but the production level is high. Background music, canned laughter, and great sound make listening to each episode a happy one. And there's new banner art every week, also keyed with the week's theme. It's a lot of work, but you can tell it's work they love.

RetroZap Network

The TechnoRetro Dads podcast is part of the RetroZap Network. I could summarize what they have to offer, but that would be an entirely new blog post. Better you just head over there yourself and see if any of the podcasts and articles strike your fancy. If you love the stuff I write about and Shazbazzar and JediShua talk about each week, you'll find something to love.

A Weekly Habit

I've enjoyed this podcast from the day I listened to my first episode. It is my favorite weekly podcast, and a Monday just isn't a Monday without Shazbazzar and JediShua.

TechnoRetro Dads is a clean, positive ray of sunshine celebrating the glory days of our Gen-X childhood, a reminder of how good we had it back then, and how awesome we Earbuds have it today.

I highly recommend this podcast.

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Detective Comics 1000

Did you get yours yet?

I headed to Houston's The Pop Culture Company yesterday with the intention of picking up not one but three copies of Detective Comics 1000. Why? Because I wanted to covers.

Yet, each issue was priced at $10.

I had second thoughts and decided to go with the 1940s variant cover. Bruce Timm channeling Dick Sprang. Basically two for the price of one.

But that 1930s cover? Oh, man, does this check off basically all the pulp-era goodness I've come to enjoy. Gothic. Strange people wearing masks doing stranger things. Fire. Mystery. A damsel in distress. The hero about to save the day.

And this 1950s cover? Embraces all the goofiness of that decade.

The rest of the covers are decent. While I appreciate the artists behind both the 1960s and the 1970s covers (Jim Steranko and Bernie Wrightson respectively), the images don't exactly scream the decade in question. You can check out both of them and the rest at the always excellent 13th Dimension.

The Stories

Art is only one half of what goes into a comic book story and, as a writer, I'm always keen to know the authors behind the stories. Not every tale from this landmark issue listed the creators' names on the first page, so sometimes, you just started reading not knowing who penned the story. That was interesting.

"Batman's Longest Case" by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

Batman follows clues across the world to reveal... [no spoilers] This one is fun and benefits from the dramatic page-turn where you finally see who is behind the trail of clues. Enjoyed the deep dive in this particular comic title's history.

"Manufactured for Use" by Kevin Smith and Jim Lee

Smith's tale and Lee's art turn in a darn good story. Specifically, when you get to the end of the tale and find out what it's really about, you turn back to the opening panels and re-read it again. The clues were there all along.

"The Legend of Knute Brody" by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen

If the first story had some humor in it, then this one is likely the funniest of the bunch. Again, like Smith's story, this one will have you go back and scan the earlier panels to get more of the in-jokes.

"The Batman's Design" by Warren Ellis and Becky Cloonan

One of the neatest things about the modern Batman post-1990s is the Bat-God. If Bruce Wayne isn't super-powered, then his brain is. And he's usually twenty steps ahead of anyone. This story proves it.

"Return to Crime Alley" by Denny O'Neil and Steve Epting

This one is interesting and, based on interviews I've heard and read over the years by O'Neil, completely understandable. This one surprised me, and in a good, real-world way.

"Heretic" by Christopher Priest and Neal Adams

Of all the stories, this one was just decent. Adams' art is good as always, but I wasn't too sure about this one.

"I Know" by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev

There was more humor in this issue than I was expecting, and this one had a great ending. There's a sequence where Maleev just does a head shot of Penguin thinking. Thinking. The realization struck and he grinned. Loved it. And was that a smile on Bruce Wayne's face?

"The Last Crime in Gotham" by Geoff Johns and Kelley Jones 

Kelley Jones! Great to see his art again, and Johns, as always, delivers a good, heart-felt story. And another smile.

"The Precedent" by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez-Bueno

A nice story about the biggest decision Bruce Wayne ever made...after that first one. More smiles!

"Batman's Greatest Case" by Tom King and Tony S. Daniel & Joelle Jones

I've not read a lot of King's work, but darn, this one had a lot of personality. And humor. And character interactions. And yet another smile! So good to see something you don't always see.

For readers of the current Bat-titles, what's a good story arc by King?

"Medieval" by Peter J. Tomasi  and Doug Mahnke

This one appears to be the prologue to the upcoming new story arc starting in Detective 1001. I don't read comics monthly anymore, but I'm curious to see if, like Snyder and Capullo's Court of Owls masterpiece, there can be something new in the Bat-World.


All in all, it was a solid issue with only a couple of stories not landing for me, but that's likely personal preference. Loved seeing all the villains, especially the random ones, and the inclusion of Talon. The historian in me would have liked some sort of essay talking about Batman over the years, but that's likely coming in the hardback book. Still, it would have been a nice addition to the single issue more people will purchase than the bigger, more expensive book.

But what can one really say about Batman that hasn't already been said? If this single issue did one thing and one thing only, it proved that Batman isn't a single thing. The types of stories and the depictions of the characters varied with each writer and artist. Much like I commented yesterday, Batman is a canvas over which myriads of creators have painted with pictures and words.

And that makes the character, created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane eighty years ago, timeless.

My Gen-X History with Batman

This month marks the 80th anniversary of Batman's first appearance, and today is when Detective Comics #1,000 will be published. I'll be stopping by my local comic shop today to pick up a few copies--darn you variant covers!--and having a good read tonight. Head to your comic store today and join in on the celebration.

Batman has been around for eighty years. Everyone has a story of how they were introduced to Batman. This is mine.

The Early Days

I was born in the last year of the Batman ‘66 TV series. Debuting in 1966, the Batman TV show with Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as Robin was a massive pop culture touchstone. By the time the 1970s rolled around, the show was in syndication, usually on one of the various UHF channels around the country. In Houston, it was Channel 39. As best as I can remember, Batman was on weekday afternoons. He was one of the shows I’d watch when I came home from school. Since we had a color TV, I got to absorb all the technicolor brilliance of the show.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: as a kid, I knew the show was funny, but I didn’t get the high camp under I grew older. No, as a youth, there was Batman, battling evil-doers yet always finding time to instruct Robin in the proper way to act and live one’s life. He was always teaching. I had great parent and grandparents so I had good role models in real life, but it was also neat to have someone like West’s Batman telling me additional things about life.

Oh, and am I the only one who thought Robin was a goner when the giant clam swallowed him whole, leaving only his twitching green-shoe-clad foot exposed?

A highlight was when the same channel would broadcast the 1966 Batman movie. Here, for a full two hours, our heroes fought the fearsome four of Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, and Penguin. Every Sunday, when the Houston Post would publish their TV guide for the week, I would read through it with pen in hand. I'd circle all the shows I'd want to watch, paying special attention to Friday night's movie on Channel 39. It was a great week when the Batman movie would play.

Super Friends

If I’m being honest, the Saturday morning cartoon, the Super Friends, was probably my next iteration of Batman and Robin. The Dynamic Duo fought for truth and justice alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. The teenaged sidekicks were Wendy and Marvin and their "Scooby," Wonder Dog. With animation, you were able to tell stories above and beyond the limitations of live action. The show came on around 7:00am or 7:30am so I’d have to make a point to wake up early enough to catch the animated Justice League. I did most Saturdays.

Mego Action Figures

By the time I was aware of things and asking for specific toys, Mego had begun producing dolls, er, action figures. I had quite a few of them. It's remarkable in this day and age when Marvel and DC are so separate to think that one company produced these dolls and often advertised with Batman and Spider-Man, to say nothing of Joker and The Lizard. Those dolls were fantastic because you got to make up your own stories.

And who didn't want Mego's The Batcave? It was too expensive for my family, but my mom took a cardboard box and created my own Batcave to play with. I can't remember my reaction back in the day, but I played with that thing. Who else's mom did the same thing?

Discovering Comics

Again, with the murkiness of time, I finally figured out that the Batman on TV was the same Batman I saw on comic books sitting in the spinner racks at grocery stores, drug stores, and corner convenience stores. My parents are readers so anything I read was likely good with them. And I devoured comics. It wasn't just Batman, but judging by the sheer number of Batman comics I still own, he was always my favorite.

Of all the titles, however, it was The Brave and the Bold that I enjoyed most. A staple of the 1970s, Brave and Bold was the team-up title where the Caped Crusader would join forces with another member of the DC Universe and battle some villain. With World's Finest teaming up Batman and Superman, this was my introduction to the wider character list DC had in the vaults.

Brave and Bold played a crucial role in solidifying, for me, my favorite Batman artist. Jim Aparo was the lead artist after a certain date. He drew most covers and most interiors. His was the name I first started associating with Batman, and it would be interesting those times when Aparo did the cover but some other artist did the interior work. He drew Batman as a lean fighting figure, with just enough of a cape to be fearsome but not overly dramatic.

By the late 70s and into the 80s, the growth of comic stores meant I didn't have to rely on a nearby Stop n Go to maybe have the latest issue. Here in Houston, it was Roy's Memory Shop over on Bissonett. A couple of years ago, I got to meet the man himself. No doubt my story was much like others he heard.

Batman Grows Up

One of the reasons I like my history of Batman during my specific lifetime was when I hit the higher teen years, Batman got darker. In 1986, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns was published. It was a massive hit. For better or worse, it showed a "real world" Batman who did what he likely always did if only you stopped to think about it. When he fought, he broke hands and arms. Gone, seemingly, was the other famous nickname, The Dark Knight Detective. Here was a brute of a man ready to punch out the lights of anyone who crossed him.

Seriously, can you imagine this image being published at any other time?

Frank Miller's story, along with his Year One tale, ushered in the dark phase of Batman's career. It also brought us our first major motion picture.

Batman 1989

I have written before about the massive pop culture moment the 1989 Batman film was. In the spring of 1989, I snatched up everything in the newsstands about this movie. Starlog magazine ran a feature story. Heck, I saw the first Bill and Ted's movie just because the trailer ran before it.

I worked in a movie theater that glorious summer of 1989. Ever since then, the true Batman Day for me is June 23. Here's my take. Thanks Michael Uslan!

On television, the excellent Batman: The Animated Series debuted. Taking Tim Burton's vibe from his two movies, this was a dark version of Batman, but, crucially, it retained lighter elements. There's a reason why many folks consider this version of Batman to be definitive on screen.

The Burton era segued into the Joel Schumacher era. I enjoyed Batman Forever--especially Jim Carrey's Riddler--but the fourth film, Batman and Robin, even I didn't like at the time. It got me to thinking: If this is the kind of Batman movie they're going to make, then just don't make any. They didn't for a few years. Then Batman returned to the screen.

Christopher Nolan's Batman

By 2005, I was only buying the major titles in the comics, usually in trade paperback editions. With the cover prices going up--and the writer's desire to tell good stories that took up many issues--it was a more cost-effective way to consume Batman stories. Besides, much of the way Batman was portrayed was the grim, unsmiling Bat-God who could anticipate anyone's next dozen moves. Some of the stories were great (Hush) while others I can barely remember.

But there was a new movie on the horizon and it looked great. Batman Begins snuck up on people, especially seeing as how the title character didn't even appear on screen until the halfway mark. But when he did, it was one of my favorite Bat-Scenes. It was from the point of view of the villains as the Batman makes his first appearance in Gotham. It was brilliant, but not as brilliant as the next film.

The Dark Knight was a masterpiece. My wife is not a huge comic-book movie fan, but she loves The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger's Joker commands the screen, but everyone else delivered a stellar performance. It was so good, Nolan should have just stopped. But, of course, they made a third. Shrug.

Up To Today

For the past decade, Batman and I have walked parallel paths. The animated Batman: The Brave and the Bold TV show reminded everyone that a humorous Batman is still okay and can live side-by-side with his darker version, both on screen and on page.

I was fine with Ben Affleck as Batman, but the movies he was in weren't great. Although that sequence of him taking out that room full of goons in Dawn of Justice was spectacular.

Comics-wise, Scott Snyder's The Court of Owls run was stellar. Completely loved it, especially considering we got something brand-new that fit in the universe in the seventh decade of the character's existence. I've enjoyed Tom King's run on the character, but I've only read here and there.

Maybe it's my age, but I'm ready for there to be another lighter Batman. He can stand next to the grim avenger we have now, but the pendulum's got to swing sometime, right?

A Batman For Everyone

If this little history does nothing else, it proves there's a type of Batman for everyone. You want the Bright Knight? Adam West is your guy. Ditto for the animated Brave and Bold. Want the dark grim avenger of the night? Lots of choices. You can pick and choose anything you want.

But for me, there is no one true Batman. The character has reflected his times for eighty years. He has evolved, but not necessarily changed. The character Bill Finger and Bob Kane created in the latter days of the Great Depression lives on. The foundations are as solid as the rocks of the Batcave. What subsequent creators do with the template is where the magic happens.

Batman has been my favorite comic book character for my entire life, and I don't suspect that's going to change. It's been a great eighty years, and I'm looking forward to eighty more.


P.S., this post is the 900th post for this blog I started twelve years ago. Hard to believe. It's been a blast, and I thank you for reading.